Wild Heart by Chris Byrne

This image was taken in Torres del Paine, Chile, 2022. 

A personal note from the photographer: A herd of horses run wild in the plains of Patagonia with the peaks of Torres del Paine in the distance encircled in afternoon storm clouds. I chose this image for a couple of reasons. It was the very last photograph that I took after spending nearly two weeks in Patagonia, with a significant part of that time deep in the Chilean fjords exploring the farthest reaches of it on a boat. From that standpoint it is a perfect memory as a capstone of that trip and the image seemed to have resonated with a lot of people when I first shared it. While this is a fundraiser for our oceans, it is important to understand that snowmelt waters from top of this majestic mountain range eventually make their way to the nearby South Pacific Ocean each year through that vast network of fjords and islands at the tip of South America. Only to be returned to those peaks in winter as snowfall, completing the cycle. Standing on our boat in the fjords during that trip, surrounded by water and dramatic landscapes without seeing another vessel for days, the reminder was constant: everything is always connected to our oceans.

Follow Chris Byrne on Instagram: @chrisbyrnephotography